Background
Croft was born on 22 September 1907 in Windermere.
Croft was born on 22 September 1907 in Windermere.
Withdrawn as a child, she nonetheless chose to be an actress.
Not to be confused with the other English actress, Elizabeth Croft
In 1966, Croft landed her first television role, a part in the Independent Television soap opera Crossroads, playing Mission Tatum. The soap originally featured actress Beryl Johnstone as postmistress Kitty Jarvis, sister of the series lead, motel owner Meg Richardson (Noele Gordon). Following Johnstone"s death in 1969, the role of Mission Tatum was increased and she was coaxed from her life as a recluse and took over the running of the shop from Kitty, becoming one of the show"s leading peripheral characters as the location increasingly became a focal point in stories.
Croft later summed up her character: "Mission Tatum didn"t suffer fools gladly and was a bit sharp at times, but she was a wonderful character".
The role of Mission Tatum was quietly phased out following producer Regional Watson"s departure. Croft left the series by 1979.
Croft said of the show, "I suppose you would call it a quiet, humdrum show". In 1940, Croft began working for Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon.
She apepared in many plays whilst there, such as Romeo and Juliet and The Merry Wives of Windsor.
She appeared in the Armchair Thriller production The Limbo Connection. Her last appearance in television was in the British Academy of Film and Television Arts award winning The Dress in 1984, her last role before a long retirement.
